A Reason Good Enough
by Alena S. Anigor
Summary: She didn't know that she was already a reason good enough for him to smile... /Zero x Yuuki/ oneshot. Reviews are welcome.


Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight. Matsuri Hino is the proud owner.

_**a/n:**_

This is for _reenas-as_ who encouraged me to write a VK fic and whose advice I finally took! It's not as good as your VK stories, but I hope you like it reen-chan! XD

_Warning: contains some spoilers! _

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**A Reason Good Enough**

-by Alena S. Anigor

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She was standing in front of the entrance to the school, eyes scanning the surroundings for any signs of Day Class girls trying to sneak past her just to see the Night Class boys. She already had to reprimand and send two of them away after she had caught them snooping around the bushes with love letters in their hands.

She sighed and shivered a bit when a gust of cold wind blew past her, tousling her hair and making her skirt billow. When she couldn't see or hear anyone anymore, she glanced upwards, gazing thoughtfully at the rolling clouds, letting the last rays of afternoon sun peek through.

She closed her eyes and inhaled the cool dusk air, crisp and fresh after a brief shower, small puddles on the concrete mirroring the darkening sky. When she opened her eyes again, she sighed softly and looked about for one last time before she turned around and headed back inside. There was something and someone waiting for her there – her trusty notebook and the dreaded math assignments and a grouchy, moody silver-haired vampire who wasn't the most patient person in the world.

She deadpanned and sighed again; oh yes, she was really looking forward to her afternoon...But, then again, if she wanted to avoid being pestered by the class president about her grades, she would have to pass those exams.

The doors creaked slightly when she pushed them open and stepped inside, the spacious hall suddenly seeming so cold and dark when the last indication of daylight vanished from the window, the dancing shadows on the floor and walls disappearing slowly, leaving only the cold grey of the stone behind, her steps echoing down the hall.

Her feet carried her up the stairs, thumping against the soft carpet as she headed her way towards the chairman's room, her eyes glued to the floor. She wondered briefly what Kaname-sempai was doing at the moment, her hand instinctively flying to her neck, her body shuddering and her cheeks turning pink when she remembered the feeling of his breath on her skin and the way his fangs grazed against it and...

Her feet stopped moving and she quickly looked up, realizing that she was standing in front of chairman's quarters. Snapping out of her stupor, she took a deep breath and grasped the knob, mentally preparing herself for the next hour and a half of pure torture.

---

She found her tutor sitting behind the table, his shoulders slumped, his facial expression neutral, but she had known him long enough to see the pain and anguish in his eyes he was trying to hide from everyone else.

A vampire hunter turned into a vampire...A boy who's become something he despised the most, a boy whose destiny was to hunt them down and purify the world of them...A boy whose destiny played a cruel joke on him the day he lost his family, let that woman take away his brother and sink her teeth into his flesh...

Her eyes saddened slightly upon seeing him lost in his own nightmarish thoughts. She often wanted to chase them away somehow but couldn't find a better way other than offering him her blood as the only source of relief...To offer him her source of life so he could live, as well. Because, that was Zero...and Zero was...someone important.

She jerked visibly when he suddenly turned to look at her and the solemn gleam in his eyes was gone, replaced by a glare that made her flinch and smile awkwardly.

"You're late," he said after looking at her keenly for a moment, his shoulders straightening as he drew the notebook near. She frowned at the remark, approaching the table and taking a seat across him.

"I was patrolling," she replied in her defense, her voice laced with annoyance. It was so typical of him to complain and kill the last shred of good mood she had. He said nothing to that, however so she concentrated on her notebook, grimacing at the equations waiting for her, a jumble of numbers and letters she absolutely detested.

"Can we begin?" He asked and with a heavy sigh, she nodded, grabbing her pencil and propping her chin on her hand. He solved the first equation almost effortlessly, her eyes watching in awe how numbers and letters practically danced across the paper. She would never admit it to him, but she was both envious and amazed by his intelligence. He was one of those people who could excel at everything they did and she wondered briefly what he would do right now if there weren't for...She swallowed, staring grimly at the table.

He was done quickly, turning the notebook upside-down so she could see it and then began again.

"See this?" He spoke, one finger pointing at the paper. She pushed those dark thoughts aside and nodded in return. "Now, all you have to do it is this..."

And as he began explaining, his smooth baritone filling the silence of the room, she tried to concentrate but somehow, in the end, her eyes strayed from the notebook and up to his face.

His eyes were slightly narrowed, silver irises concentrated on the task before him, a frown forever donning his beautiful, young features. She tried to imagine him smiling, tried to picture him with his eyes soft and sparkling with happiness and ease...Just for once, she wanted to see him smiling instead of watching him hurt and suffer inwardly in silence, alone...

"Oi, Yuuki!" She snapped out of her stupor and then blinked when she caught him staring at her in annoyance. "Are you even listening to me?"

She nodded quickly, smiling in chagrin before he continued again, pointing at the next few paragraphs filled with numbers. She concentrated this time, following his words and trying to memorize them, clasping her hands under the table. When he stopped explaining, he pointed at the other equation, making her blink.

"Now, you try."

She paled again and swallowed, staring at the equation blankly. When she looked at him, she caught him looking at her with a strange expression she'd rarely seen. He almost seemed...amused by her behavior and if she looked a bit closer and squinted, she could almost see a tiny smile on his lips. Encouraged by that, she slowly leaned in, taking her pencil and started scribbling, trying to remember how it went.

Silence ensued between them, disrupted only by an occasional cough coming from her, accompanied by the sound of her pencil gliding across the paper. After she wrote a few paragraphs, she stopped briefly to look at him for some kind of confirmation that she was on a good way, glancing at him beneath her unruly bangs, her eyes locked on his face once more. They softened when she saw his other hand resting on the left side of his neck, hiding his tattoo, his eyes looking out the window, his gaze somewhere far, far away. She wondered where his thoughts had taken him this time when she spotted his hand sliding down his neck and grasping the material of his shirt slightly.

She hesitated for just a moment, biting her lower lip before she spoke.

"Zero, are you...are you hungry?"

It was one of the most simple, inane questions but they both knew what stood behind it.

He gave her an odd look, a mixture of surprise, pain and need, silver irises wide for a moment, before he quickly shook his head, turning his eyes away from her. He stood up abruptly and she looked up at his tall figure in surprise. Had she gone too far? Had she provoked him too much? She knew he hated the sheer thought of having to feed on her to satisfy his hunger...

"I'm fine." Was all he muttered when he walked past her calmly, strolling to the door to switch the light on. She blinked and squinted when the light hit her eyes then looked outside, surprised to see nothing but darkness. The night had already fallen.

He came back, claiming his seat again and glancing at her intently, that frown back in place. They stared at each other for some time, before he looked away, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Are you done?"

She looked at the still unsolved equation and shook her head, gazing solemnly at the empty space between little squares. Silence stretched on, both of them lost in their own thoughts. She scribbled the last few numbers and sighed heavily, letting her pencil roll over the page slowly. When she looked at him, he was looking out the window again, his lips set into a firm line.

"Zero?"

Her voice brought him back from his thoughts and he directed his attention to her, leaning in and glancing at the result. He nodded in approval.

"That's correct. Now, try to solve this one." He said and pointed at the other, more complicated looking one below. She frowned at the numbers as if they were the ones to blame for his unspoken refusal to drink her blood. And she _knew_ he was hungry.

"Zero?" She repeated, looking at him firmly.

"Hnn?" A halfhearted reply, eyes closed.

"Just...Just do it, okay?"

Her demand had the desired effect because as soon as those words escaped her lips, his eyes snapped open, his lips parting slightly in surprise. Her expression remained firm, determined. His own widened when she stood up, rounding the table and stopped in front of him, raising her hands to unbutton the first button of her shirt.

When she started to remove her hair away from her neck, he suddenly stood up and grabbed her hands, making her gasp softly, her fingers still curled around her locks.

They stared at each other mutely, intensely, his grasp on her hands a bit too firm, but she could still feel his fingers trembling slightly over hers.

"Zero," she began, her voice carrying an almost pleading note, her eyes searching his pained ones. She could see his discomfort, clouded with need and hunger as he started to lean down, his grasp on her hands tightening.

She could feel his breath on her face as she stared into silver eyes tinted with crimson color, his nose almost touching hers. His hands left hers only to tangle themselves in her hair and draw her nearer, her forehead bumping against his. He was breathing heavily, small puffy of air warming her face as he closed his eyes tightly.

"It's okay, Zero," she whispered, her hands sliding down to rest on his chest, fingers grasping the material of his shirt firmly. "I already told you," she added in a placating voice, "It's okay."

She could hear him taking a shuddery breath as his head sunk lower, his nose brushing against her cheek before his lips settles on the crook of her neck, his breath tickling the sensitive flesh. She trembled slightly when his tongue left a moist trail on her skin before his fangs sunk in, dull pain making her flinch briefly before she sighed softly and gazed at the ceiling, her eyes glazed.

Her hands slid higher and grasped his shoulders for support when his hand slid down her back, pulling her closer. She closed her eyes when she started to feel slightly dizzy, her knees buckling slightly but she didn't fall out of his tight grasp. She let go, letting him hold her and letting her mind go blank.

It was odd, that feeling. She couldn't quite explain it; it was strong and powerful, exhilarating and exciting and making her feel so weak at the same time. It was making her heart beat faster and her breath hitch in her throat every time his fangs would scrape at her skin or his tongue would lick off the remains of precious red liquid.

And she had never felt regret, not once. Because, that was Zero...Zero deserved to live, to breathe, to walk to class with her, to yell and frown and glare at her...Zero was important and she didn't know what she would do without him...She couldn't even imagine her life without him anymore. It would be so empty without him...Zero was...Zero was...

He was her guardian as much as she was his. He was an important person in her life just as much as she mattered to him...And that was that. Simple as that...

When she couldn't feel his lips on her skin anymore, she opened her eyes and met a pair of apologetic, troubled ones as they stared down at her in concern.

He was close, so close that she could see every hue of red and silver shimmering in his eyes and her cheeks colored at the proximity.

"Are you okay?" He asked; his voice raspy and raw and she nodded mutely, offering him a reassuring smile, her hands still wrapped around his shoulders tightly. When he didn't let go of her either, she suddenly started to feel uncomfortable and hot and she suddenly had a strange urge to do something, anything, just to stop feeling so awkward. She looked away from those haunted eyes and slowly, let go of his shoulders, her hands sliding down his shirt to finally rest by her sides.

He lowered his head, letting go of her to wipe the remaining blood off of his face, looking utterly disgusted and sickened when he saw red smears on his sleeve. They remained silent; her looking at the door and him looking out the window grimly.

"Uhm..." She finally spoke after an awkward silence and he let go of her completely, the need to apologize stuck in his throat. It was in vain, really, because honestly, till when would he have to apologize to her after drinking her blood?

He turned around slowly, reaching for his jacket, still feeling the coppery-sweet taste of her blood on his lips. He frowned and swallowed, wishing his sensei had killed him that day.

"Zero?"

Her voice sounded so concerned that he turned around, giving her a look full of inner turmoil.

"Why?" He choke out, angry and disgusted with himself for giving in to his damned nature once again, scarring her innocence further more. Her look was full of sympathy and concern and he wanted so desperately to look away but he couldn't. "Why do you keep doing this? Why do you...?"

Her answer was so simple and clean but to him, it couldn't sound more complicated.

"Because I care about Zero."

He would've laughed at her answer if he could, but he was afraid he had forgotten how to.

"Because I want to see Zero live and because I want to see Zero smile."

"I don't smile and I don't have a reason to smile," he replied dejectedly, looking at her severely as if that by itself should prove his statement. He was left to gape at her in wonder when she smiled at him softly, warmth radiating from her whole being.

"Then, in that case," she whispered softly, taking a step forward and taking his hand in her. "I'll smile for the both of us."

He stared down at her in astonishment, watching her smiling face and feeling the warmth of her hand, not believing her words and actions. He snorted lightly, wondering what kind of girl would say such a thing to a vampire who had just sucked on her blood. But then again, she was always a bit strange, wasn't she?

He sighed and let her hold his hand for a few more moments before they both jerked when the clock mechanism let out a loud bang and her eyes widened when she realized how late it was.

"Ah! I have to go!" She exclaimed and quickly gathering her notebook and pencil, hurried to the door. She stopped on her way out, smiling at him gently, her cheeks slightly pink.

"Thank you for helping me," she exclaimed, giving him a grateful look and then "And...I will find a reason to make Zero smile" before she disappeared behind the corner and out of his view, leaving him alone in the middle of the room. He stared at the hall for a long time, his jacket rustling slightly when he put it on.

He walked to the door and switched the lights off, darkness surrounding him and making him feel somewhat cold without the light...without her.

She said she would find a reason to make him smile...Silly girl, he thought, didn't she know that she was already a reason enough?

And in the darkness of the room, a small light flashed in his eyes as he smiled softly.


End file.
